marknyc wrote:...Finally, I will weigh in with my experience with UCLA. I agree that they are the worst when it comes to releasing what they hold. Others who have attempted to access their holdings for commercial releases confirm what I found: they ask outrageous fees, which means that much of what they have sits in their vaults, never to be seen. I hate hoarders.

The place for hoarders is a brick wall, against which their backs are pressed.

But the many apologists for archive-imprisonment always assert that copyright entanglement is the nasty culprit, not mere avarice.

I approached UCLA for a transfer of a 1950s television show to which I have all the rights. I just wanted to arrange a video transfer of a couple of episodes.

Whereas another institution pulled films for free and let me arrange for the transfer at about $50 an episode, UCLA insisted on doing the transfer themselves and said they would charge $500 to $1000 for each reel. So of course it didn't happen and the films remain sitting in their vault, unseen.

What's the point of preserving films if no one can see them?

Last edited by marknyc on Mon May 11, 2015 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's the same thing in the Network Radio Drama field; and the only (lame) point that is ever granted is, "well, it is BEING PRESERVED!!!"

Yes, but collection history tells us that fire, flood, theft, etc., can happen to any given individual copy. So it is self-evident, that getiing more copies out there is actually the best aid to the safest preservation!

vitaphone wrote:Yes, work is in progress but at least another year to complete.

That is indeed good news - to hear that it is actually being worked on. The last time I saw it theatrically (about 35 years back), it seemed to play well except for the colour quality which was faded and tweaked towards blue. I presume therefore that the restoration will finally fix this?

RegardsDonald Binks

Regards fromDonald Binks

"So, she said: "Elly, it's no use letting Lou have the sherry glasses..."She won't appreciate them,she won't polish them..."You know what she's like." So I said:..."

vitaphone wrote:Yes, work is in progress but at least another year to complete.

That is indeed good news - to hear that it is actually being worked on. The last time I saw it theatrically (about 35 years back), it seemed to play well except for the colour quality which was faded and tweaked towards blue. I presume therefore that the restoration will finally fix this?

RegardsDonald Binks

No, the restorers have decided it would look MUCH better in black & white.

vitaphone wrote:Yes, work is in progress but at least another year to complete.

That is indeed good news - to hear that it is actually being worked on. The last time I saw it theatrically (about 35 years back), it seemed to play well except for the colour quality which was faded and tweaked towards blue. I presume therefore that the restoration will finally fix this?

RegardsDonald Binks

No, the restorers have decided it would look MUCH better in black & white.

That's a lot of money to see my favourite musical. Perhaps I can get a job as an usher in the theater, and then watch it for free, (but have to stand up)?

But seriously I'm glad they are restoring it all finally, (when I say "all" I mean replacing those scratched 16mm sections with a decent 35mm source). And if there is still another year to go before it's finished, then they must be doing a thorough job on it.

How much of this is true? If it is, are the restorers taking this into account?

At the time, the process employed red and green dyes, each with a dash of other colors mixed in, but no blue dye. "King of Jazz" was to showcase a spectacular presentation of "Rhapsody in Blue," so this presented a problem. Fortunately, the green dye Technicolor used can actually appear peacock blue (cyan) under some conditions, but acceptable results in this case would require very careful handling. Art director Herman Rosse and production director John Murray Anderson came up with ingenious solutions. Tests were made of various fabrics and pigments, and by using an all gray-and-silver background the bluish aspect of the dye was set off to best advantage. Filters were also used to inject pale blues into the scene being filmed.

The goal was to produce a finished film with pastel shades rather than bright colors. Nevertheless, as it appears in an original two-color Technicolor print, the sequence might best be described as a "Rhapsody in Turquoise". Later prints made from the original two-component negative, which had survived, make the blues look truer and more saturated than they appeared to audiences in 1930.

Here is the latest news from the most recent "VITAPHONE PROJECT: NEWS" release:

Quote:

NBC Universal's newly expanded restoration team has made great progress on KING OF JAZZ ('30), utilizing drastically better Technicolor material that is light years beyond what has circulated. It is expected that work will be completed by mid-2016, with any screenings or DVD following that.

KING OF JAZZ UPDATE

Work began on restoration of the 1930 all-Technicolor musical KING OF JAZZ in the spring of 2015. NBC Universal is doing the work, and drawing from recently rediscovered 35mm Technicolor material with vivid color. Universal has significantly expanded its restoration efforts over past 18 months, and is also working on their owned Paramount Marx Brothers features and a number of silents. Like Warner Bros, the team is also reaching out to collectors to assist in tracking down needed materials.

The KOJ restoration is not only visual, but also involves improving the soundtrack through the use of better available optical and disk elements. Universal has drawn on support from Professor Richard Koszarski, who has made a 30 year study of the making of the film, along with DAWN OF TECHNICOLOR authors James Layton and David Pierce and our Project.

Work is expected to be completed on the KING OF JAZZ restoration by mid-year 2016. We will of course post any announcements regarding screenings and any DVD release on our Facebook page as well as in our next issue.

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End Quote.

I hope its either a Blu-Ray or a High Definition 4K scan -- much the same as the recent "It Happened One Night" (1934). That was just an awesome release.

Saw a test screening on Friday morning at MoMA. It looks almost completely 35. A few transitional moments have sound and no picture (B&W stills fill in), and some brief clips look like 16mm blowups. The color is superb throughout, and the sound much better than the VCR copy I have.

This was a massive undertaking, and it deserves to be seen on a big screen, despite all the issues about Whiteman, what the filmmakers consider jazz ("Ochi Chornya"? Scottish bagpipes?), Jeanie Lang, the casual racism, etc., etc.

Daniel Eagan wrote:Saw a test screening on Friday morning at MoMA. It looks almost completely 35. A few transitional moments have sound and no picture (B&W stills fill in), and some brief clips look like 16mm blowups. The color is superb throughout, and the sound much better than the VCR copy I have.

This was a massive undertaking, and it deserves to be seen on a big screen, despite all the issues about Whiteman, what the filmmakers consider jazz ("Ochi Chornya"? Scottish bagpipes?), Jeanie Lang, the casual racism, etc., etc.

I've seen the beautiful stills of the restored print. So much better than the overly blue cast of the VHS tape, and the overly green appearance of the unrestored print screen captures. I am donating to the book project and cannot wait to read the full story of this legendary film.